The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-15
! PRICE S1O A YEAR,
! CENTS A COPY. (
BLOOD STAIN.
THE TRIPLE MURDERER KILLED
BY HIS CAPTORS.

MANATEE, FLA, Sept. 12.--The revolt
ing murder, of his wife and two children,
by Delos Green which occurred about four
miles west of Sara Sofa, on Friday morning,
Sept 8, a brief account which appeared in
the dispatches of the MORNING NEWS, cul-
minated Saturday afternoon, just before
sundown, about one and a half miles south
of Manatee village, in the killing OF the
murderer by Charles Whitaker, whn
with Sheriff A. s. Watson, was bringing
Green to Manatee village, for the purpose
of being carried by the steamer Margaret,
next Wednesday, to Tampa, to be put in
Jail, there being no Jail in this county
From Maj Alden j. Adams, Justice of
the Peace, and who acted as Coroner at ths
inquest the following statement of the
facts in the case were obtained:
After the Coroners inquest over the bodies
of Green's wife and children, Green had
been committed by Acting Coroner Greer,
of Sara Scta, and turned over to Sheriff
Watson, TO be carried to Manatee, as before
stated. Green was powerful man physi-
cally, being about six feet high and weigh
ing $50 pounds, and for this reason, buh
more particularly ON account OF the
enormity of the crime, the Sheriff very
prndently and properly had placed hand-
cuffs on him.
Sheriff Watson started for Manatee, put
ting his prisoner in a wagon in charge Of
Charles Whitaker, young man living at
Sarasota, he being on horseback, riding inn
mediately in the rear The Sheriff, just be-
fore starting, had placed in the wagon the
hatchet and chisel with which Green had
done his cruel work, and Watson, having
observed Green turn up the cloth under
which the instruments had been placed, just
little before starting, and while Green's
back was turned took them out of the wagon
and put them in his saddlebags, very
timely precaution. Both the Sheriff and
Whitaker were armed with pistols, the
former havinga 3s-calibre Smith 81 Wesson,
and the latter having a 44-calibre English
self-cocker, which was in his hip pocket, the
stock sticking out.
AS THEY NEARED MANATEE VILLAGE
Whitaker noticed that Green became more
nervous in his manner, and just about this
time the horse made kind of turn to go
into the Sarasota road, and Whitaker, in
leaning over TO rein him back, turned his
body, which threw his hip and the butt of
the pistol in an exposed position toward
Green, who as quick as thought grasped the
butt of the pistol and endeavored to turn
the muzze toward Whitaker's person. Whit
taker as quickly grasped the cylinder of the
pistol and held ON tightly, in this way keep
ing it from revolving as Green was strug-
Cling to pull the trigger. Sheriff Watson
seeing the struggle, rode up and covered
Green with his pistol, telling him he would
kill him IL he did not desist. Green then
meant no harm, and was merely
testing Whittaker's courage. The Sheriff
told HIM If be- dared to attempt anything of
the KIND again he would kill him instantly.
Green's eyes fairly blazed, and, clinching
his teeth and opening his lips, he threw his
body with great force against Whitaker,
forcing him out Of the buggy, over the
wheels to the ground, he falling on top.
Whitaker with much difficulty freed him-
self and started TO run, closely pursued by
his assailant. Whitaker, finding that
Green was gaining ON him, and the Sheriff
shouting TO him to ''shoot," turned and
fired, striking Green In the middle of the
stomach, but he never WINGED or slackened
his speed The Sheriff at this time, was
unable TO fire, Whitaker being in an exact
line with Green, but was gaining on
the murderer, and when within
few feet, being nearer to him than
Whitaker, Green turned on the Sheriff, who
at this moment fired, intending to disable
the prisoner, but the ball merely grazed his,
arm; again tho Sheriff pulled down on him.
this time right In his face, but the pistol
hung fire, and Green grabbed the muzzle.
Being powerful man any way, and with
maddened determination, he sought to
wrench the pistol from the Sheriff's hands,
tearing the skin from the latter's hands in
HIS maddened efforts, and at one time, tha
Sheriff did lose his grasp on the pistol, but
again renewed it. Green, in the meantime,
had got the Sheriff ratRsr under him, and
held him as in a wise, the Sheriff trying to-
turn the pistol against Green's body so as to-
shoot him, and Green doing all in his power
to do the same TO the Sheriff, and at one
time in the melee had dealt the Sheriff a
terrific blow across the face with his hand-
cuffs The Sheriff shouted to Whitaker,
"ITs LIFE AND DEATH CASE KILL HIM"
Whitaker then ran up, put his pistol
against Green's head, just above the ear,
and fired. Green relaxed his hold, opened
his eyes wide, gave a shudder, and fell over
dead. And so ended the life of human
fiend, who less than thirty hours before had
committed a crime, which for Nervousness
and cold and premeditated cruelty, as the
horrid circumstances disclose, is without q
parallel in the annals of crime. The horse
and buggy and the Sheriff's horse had both
runaway at the start, but were captured in
the road and brought back. Watson and
Whitaker then went TO the village and re-
ported the matter. Coroner Adams then
had a jury summoned, who went out to where
the murderer lay stark and cold in the
palmettoes. his face upturned and a
heavy rainstorm having come on In the
meantime after he was killed, those who
saw him say his whole appearance presented
a most shocking spectacle. But there was
not single feeling Of pity or regret i'm the
crowd who viewed this unnatural, inhuman
husband and father.
The jury of inquest made very full and
searching examination of the Sheriff and
Mr.. Whitaker, and returned the following
verdict:
1--WE, the jury find that Delos r. Green
came to his death at the hands of Sheriff A.
s. Watson and his guard while resisting
said officers in the discharge of their official
duty, and that said killing was necessary,
unavoidable and justiiable."
A COFFIN WAS PROCURED
from the village the dead man placed in it,
and Sheriff Watson, with two or three young
men, carried the corpse back TO Sarasota,
10 be laid side by side with the victims OF
his terrible work.
The Sheriff states that he avoided killing
Green TO the last, and that il was only done
whom there appeared to be no help for IL. 1t
was true that he had on handouts, but with
his great strength and his murderous mania,
he was a terrible assailant.
Strange 10 say, Green was shot in the ex-
act part of the head where his wife and both
children had been struck with the butt OF his
hatchet.
IL X also little curious that the pistol
with which Green was killed was owned by
G. T. Abble, and found on his body at the
q. - c.